John III of Portugal

John III (June 6, 1502–June 11, 1557; Portuguese: João III), nicknamed o Piedoso ("the Pious") was the fifteenth king of Portugal.

The Portuguese Empire under John III

Africa

Luso-African Relations

In John III's time, trade between the Portuguese and Africans was extremely intense in the feitorias like Arguim, Mina, Mombasa, Sofala or Moçambique. "Common products were salt, wheat, horses, carpets, fabric, Irish and English clothing, blades, tin for African natives' coins, copper or tin vases, shells from the Canaries that Ethiopians carry on their necks as an amulet against lightning, yellow and green beads from Nuremberg, and brass armlets" (Basílio Vasconcelos, «Itinerário» de Jerónimo Münzer, 1932), in exchange for gold, slaves, ivory and bush redpepper brought by the Portuguese.

Related Topics:
Arguim - Mina - Mombasa - Sofala - Moçambique - Salt - Wheat - Horses - Carpets - Fabric - Clothing - Blade - Tin - Copper - Shell - Canaries - Nuremberg - Gold - Slaves - Ivory

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"Now, I say, like you said that there was no capture of slaves in your Kingdom , I just want to provide you with flour and wine for your Eucharistic rites, and for that it would only be needed a caravelão each year; if it seems right to you, in exchange for 10,000 slaves and 10,000 armlets and 10,000 ivory tooth, that, it is said, in the Congo there is not much, not even a ship per year; so, this and more shall be as you want." (Letter of John III to the King of the Congo)

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Under John III, several expeditions started in coastal Africa and went toward the interior of the continent. These expeditions were formed by groups of navigators, merchants, adventurers and missionaries. Missions in Africa were established by the College of Arts of Coimbra. The objective was to increase the king's dominion, develop peace relations and to christianize the native population.

Related Topics:
Africa - Navigator - Merchant - Adventurer - Missionaries - College of Arts of Coimbra - Dominion - Christianize - Native population

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Defense and abandonment of North African strongholds

John III refused to abandon all of the Portuguese North African strongholds, but he had to make choices:

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"To want to have such a costly thing, and from which there came no profits wasn?t wise, mainly for who had so great expenditures and so huge and necessary, that cannot be stopped." (Unknown, Relações de Pero Alcáçova Carneiro, etc., 1937)

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John III decided to abandon Safim and Azamor in 1541, followed by Arzila and Alcácer Ceguer in 1549. The fortresses of Ceuta, Tangiers and Mazagan were strengthened "to face the new military techniques, imposed by the generalization of heavy artillery, combined with light fire weapons and blades" (José Mattoso dir., História de Portugal, 1993).

Related Topics:
Safim - Azamor - 1541 - Arzila - Alcácer Ceguer - 1549 - Ceuta - Tangiers - Mazagan

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"There were years when the King had thought with his great judgement (?) to abandon the cities of Safim and Azamor (?). It was certain that Safim had no port and the river of Azamor was not navigable (?). The cost was too much that resulted in fruits of no consideration (?)" (Frei Luís de Sousa, Anais de D. João III, 1983).

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John III declared every male subject between 20 and 65 years old recruitable on 7 August 1549.

Related Topics:
7 August - 1549

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"Every nobleman, like all my servants and those who are not, and every knight, squire, servants of mine, my brothers, and any other person that might have them , I order them to have the horses ready." (idem)

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Asia

Luso-Asian relations

Before the reign of John III, the Portuguese had already reached Siam (1511), the Moluccas (1512), the Chinese littoral (1513), Canton (1517) and Timor (1515). During his rule the Portuguese reached Japan, and in the end of John's reign, Macao was offered to Portugal.

Related Topics:
Siam - 1511 - Moluccas - 1512 - 1513 - Canton - 1517 - Timor - 1515 - Macao

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"From India, he receives all kinds of spice, drug & stone & many cotton clothes, taficiras and alaquecas . From Malacca, clovetrees, marzipan, sandalwood, camphor, porcelains, beijoim & calaim . From Bengala, sinafabos, flannel, chautares , castor beans, & rebotins that are kinds of thin fabric made of cotton (?). From Alexandria & Cairo, red dyewood, cinnabars, saffron, copper, rosed waters, borcados , velvets, taffeta, grains of wood, camlets, gold & silver in bars, & in coins, & carpets. From China, musk, rhubarb, & silk in exchange of gromwells, pearls, horses from Arabia & Persia, non worked silk, silk embroidery threads, fruits of the date palm, raisins, salt, sulphur & many other goods." (Fernão Lopes de Castanheda, História do Descobrimento e Conquista da Índia pelos Portugueses, 1979)

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Defence

As Muslims and other peoples constantly attacked Portuguese fleets in the area, and because India was far away from mainland Portugal, it was extremely difficult for John III to assure the Portuguese dominion in this area. A Viceroy, a Governor-General with large powers, was nominated, but it was not enough. The Portuguese started by creating feitorias – commercial strongholds (Cochin, Cannanore, Coulão, Cranganore and Tanor) ? with the initial objective of establishing just a commercial dominion in the region.

Related Topics:
Fleet - Viceroy - Cochin - Cannanore - Cranganore

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The hostilities demonstrated by many Indian kingdoms, and the alliances between sultans and zamorins to expulse the Portuguese, made it necessary for the Europeans to establish a sovereign state. So, Portugal militarily occupied some key cities on the Indian coast, and Goa (1512) became the headquarters of the Portuguese Empire in the East. Goa became a starting point for the introduction of European cultural and religious values in India. Churches, schools and hospitals were built.

Related Topics:
Sultan - Zamorins - Sovereign - Goa - 1512

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Portuguese arrival in Japan

The Portuguese arrived in Japan in 1543. Japan was known to Portugal since the time of Marco Polo, who called it Cipango. The question as to whether Portuguese nationals were the first Europeans to arrive in Japan is debatable. Some say it was the writer Fernão Mendes Pinto, and some say the navigators António Peixoto, António da Mota and Francisco Zeimoto.

Related Topics:
Japan - 1543 - Marco Polo - Fernão Mendes Pinto - António Peixoto - António da Mota - Francisco Zeimoto

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Portuguese traders started negotiating with Japan earlier than 1550. By then, trade with Japan was a Portuguese monopoly, under the rule of a Captain. Because the Portuguese established themselves in Macau, Chinese commercial relations, mainly the silver trade with Japan, were improved under John III's rule.

Related Topics:
1550 - Monopoly - Captain - Macau - Silver

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Moluccas

After the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan, the Castilians claimed the recently discovered Moluccas Islands. In 1524, a conference of experts (cartographers, cosmographers, pilots, etc.) was held to solve the dispute caused by the difficulty of determining the meridian agreed to in the Treaty of Tordesillas. The Portuguese delegation sent by John III had names such as António de Azevedo Coutinho, Diogo Lopes de Sequeira, Lopo Homem and Simão Fernandes.

Related Topics:
Ferdinand Magellan - Castilians - Moluccas - 1524 - Cartographer - Cosmographer - Meridian - Treaty of Tordesillas - António de Azevedo Coutinho - Diogo Lopes de Sequeira - Lopo Homem - Simão Fernandes

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The dispute was settled in 1529 by the Treaty of Zaragoza, signed by John III and Charles I of Spain. The Portuguese paid 350,000 golden ducados to Spain and secured their presence in the islands.

Related Topics:
1529 - Treaty of Zaragoza - Ducados

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This payment should not have been necessary because Portugal was actually entitled to the islands, according to the Treaty of Tordesillas.

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Macau

In 1553, Leonel de Sousa obtained authorization for the Portuguese to establish in Canton and in Macau. Macau was later offered to John III as a reward for the Portuguese assistance against maritime piracy in the period between 1557 and 1564.

Related Topics:
1553 - Leonel de Sousa - Canton - Macau - Maritime piracy - 1557 - 1564

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"In the morning of the other day, we set sail from this island of Sanchão and when the sun set, we arrived at another island, that lies six more leagues to the north, called Lampacau, where at that time the Portuguese made trade with the Chinese, and they made it until the year of 1557, when the mandarins of Canton, when asked by Portuguese land merchants, gave this port of Macau to us (?)." (Fernão Mendes Pinto, Pilgrimage, 1974 ed.)

Related Topics:
League - Lampacau - 1557 - Mandarin

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Brazil

Trade in Brazil

In the first year following the discovery of Brazil, the Portuguese collected only brazilwood and exotic birds. Brazilwood was a much appreciated product in Europe, because its red extract was used in dyeing.

Related Topics:
Brazil - Brazilwood

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During John III's rule after the initial colonization, Portuguese explorers intensified the search for brazilwood and began the cultivation of sugarcane and bananas. The last two were nonexistent in North America.

Related Topics:
Colonization - Sugarcane - Banana - North America

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Brazil lacked a large native population, so Portugal began to bring African slaves to the territory. The first slaves arrived in Brazil in 1539, and were from the region of Guinea. Some of them worked in sugarcane fields and factories, but the majority of them cut, cleaned and transported brazilwood to the littoral.

Related Topics:
Slaves - 1539 - Guinea - Littoral

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Colonization

It was during the reign of John III that the colonization of Brazil started. John was an enthusiast of the New World and the first Portuguese monarch to pay real attention to the new land. The territory was divided in 15 captaincies (the capitanias) that were given to dignitary captains with obligations of defense, to populate them and to explore the resources.

Related Topics:
Colonization - New World - Captaincies

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"Martim Afonso, my friend, I, the King (?) knew of your arrival at this land of Brazil, and because of your patrol of the coast (?) against the French corsairs, (?) I thank you (?). After you left, a question was raised if it would be my service to populate all that coast of Brazil, and some people asked me for captaincies (?), so I ordered to mark from Pernambuco to the Rio da Prata fifty leagues of coast to each captaincy, and before giving them to anyone, I ordered a hundred of the best leagues of the coast to be marked to you and fifty leagues to your brother, Pêro Lopes (?). I also gave captaincies of fifty leagues to some people (?) and everyone is willing to take people and ships with them (?)" (Letter of John III to Martim Afonso de Souza)

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The first Governor-General appointed by John III was Tomé de Sousa, who in 1549 founded the city of Bahia (known at the time as São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos - Holy Saviour of the Bay of All Saints).

Related Topics:
Tomé de Sousa - 1549 - Bahia

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